By Iris Kuo, KERA 90.1 intern
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College students still sleep-deprived, despite risks
Dallas, TX –
Iris Kuo, KERA 90.1 Intern: It's 9:00 p.m. on a recent school night and I'm facing three of my classmates, who are all yawning. We're supposed to be studying for our midterm the next day, but we can barely keep our eyes open. On my way home, I buy a giant coffee with whipped cream. The caffeine helps me stay awake until I finally get to sleep at 4:00 a.m. Less than five hours later; I crawl out of bed and go to class. My friend, Sharmin Ashtaputre, tells me she's burned out, too. Between her job, classes, a senior thesis and her social life, she's swamped. The easiest way to get everything done, she says, is to give up a few hours of sleep every night.
Sharmin Ashtaputre, student: There's so much pressure from school right now that it's impossible to get more sleep.
Kuo: Most experts recommend around eight hours of sleep every night. That day, Sharmin and I averaged about five and a half. Over time, data has shown that the average sleep time of young adults has steadily dropped over the last century, from nine and one-quarter hours in 1900 to less than seven hours in 2004. To find out why, I ask Dr. John Herman, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Children's Medical Center. He tells me sleep deprivation among college students is a combination of high workloads, an age-related biological tendency to sleep later, and the one we all struggle with - plain old self-discipline.
John Herman, M.D., director, Sleep Disorders Center at Children's Medical Center: A lot of kids crash and burn because of that - because they're not ready to assume responsibility for their own wake time and bed time.
Kuo: Dr. Herman warns me about the consequences of sleep deprivation, such as memory loss and a higher risk of car accidents. He says a study found pre-diabetic symptoms in sleep-deprived students, and there are links to obesity and an increased appetite for sugary and snack foods. I think guiltily of my coffee with whipped cream. Dr. Philip Becker, director of the Sleep Medicine Institute, says the constant availability of technology - including TV, free night minutes on cell phones and the Internet - has given the students of my generation more excuses to stay up later.
Philip Becker, M.D., director, Sleep Medicine Institute: If I had to say one technology that had the most significant impact upon sleep, it probably is the computer and the Web.
Kuo: A National Sleep Foundation poll in 2000 found 55% of America's young adults postpone sleep to watch TV or use the Internet. But, computers or not, Dr. Becker says some things don't change.
Becker: The need for sleep is the same today as it was in the time of Abraham Lincoln.
Kuo: Both doctors said sleep deprivation in students is an issue universities should address. Jodie Clark, health education coordinator at the University of Texas at Dallas, says UTD has offered time management seminars and brochures on sleep deprivation.
Jodie Clark, health education coordinator, University of Texas at Dallas: We have informational brochures that we've had out for orientations, and I know a lot of parents have been interested in them.
Kuo: Parents of college kids are always concerned about their child's health. But because I live two hundred miles away from home, it's easy to tell my worried mother I'm getting enough sleep. She can't see the circles under my eyes or the coffee cups littering my desk. For most of us, sleep deprivation is just a part of being a college student. We've accepted it as a way of life. Sometimes, I even plan my activities around an 18-hour day. As I leave Dr. Becker's office, he calls after me, "Get some sleep!" "I will," I reply. But in my mind, I'm thinking, "Yeah, right."
Iris Kuo is KERA 90.1's intern. She attends the University of Texas at Dallas.
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